What if all social media since Facebook suddenly disappeared?

[AirBo]

A discussion in another thread today made me think of asking this question:

Would it be more beneficial to the collective or not?

There are still so many other ways to keep in touch. Forums, emails, text messages, messenger apps and the good old phone call would still be there.

Understand that I know there are some benefits but when compared to the drawbacks, I would scrap all that and start from scratch.

I, for one, hate social media with a passion... the addiction, the fake news, the fake lives, the jealousy, the narcissism, etc, etc

I might be very close minded...

Thoughts?

 

[Rebaynia]

What i don't like is when parts get baught out and blended.
Like i used to have my messanger, and i had skype for others. But when skype got baught out by microsoft and got blened and the people i had purposly kept seperate became blended, I stopped useing both.

Or like facebook and instagram being connected by meta.. I have had to creat a divide between the 2 yet again, because my facebook was ment for people i knew in real life, while instagram was great for sharing life with other people, strangers.

I just don't like how over time a platform doesn't just remain a seperate platform on it's own while everything seems to keep being forcibly blended into 1 identity, it makes being part of any platform dangerous to share anything on any more.

 

[AirBo]

Now if MERB were to disappear though

Hence why I made sure to say Forums would still be there LOL

We can't lose Merb!

 

[AirBo]

Depression is the main sickness of the 21st century for 1st world countries. It's got to have something to do with it.

I'm still very sick today... here I am thinking about life and how to make it better for everyone

 

[Giselle Montreal]

In my first Internet era, forums were all the rage and it's a format that has almost completely disappeared, sadly. It's the form of social media I like the most and where I'm the best! I deleted almost everything from my Facebook (all the likes and groups and pages), I'm not good at taking photos so my Instagram is not fruitful and if I post two selfies on my Twitter yearly, you are lucky!

I also wish I could delete my Facebook but keep my Messenger but both are connected, it's quite annoying.

 

[AirBo]

Just the YouTube shorts... drive me crazy LOL

I'm a zombie for an hour and my attention span has clearly decreased over the last few years.

I've always loved watching movies... unless I'm in a cinema, I have a really hard time now going through a movie

 

[Mefy]

Why Everyone Should Be Limiting Social Media Usage​

-Improve your mood
-Quit comparing yourself to others
-Cut out distractions
-Become more social
-Invest time in yourself

And a lot more...

I hate social media.
Full of BS and lies.

 

[Rebaynia]

Take it from most of us. It's hard to quit. If you're thinking of quitting in 2024, which is a month away, just quit now... how does it feel? No more cookie for you

Well he needs something to achieve as a new years resolution. (no one mention how resolutions rarely last more than just a few months though. )

 

[samadams]

Saw a documentary on Netflix called “The Social Dilemma. “
There was a dude on by the name Jaron Lanier.
I recently read his book: Ten Arguments For Deleting Your Social Media Accounts Right Now.
He said,
“We've created an entire global generation of people who were raised within a context where the very meaning of communication, the very meaning of culture is manipulation,”
“We've put deceit and sneakiness at the absolute center of everything we do.”
Personally I hate Social Media and the news that is on every day. Airbo, I’m with you.
No more Twitter/X,
Facebook, Instagram for me.
Only old classic movies on TCM and I read Merb posts every day.
Love the fact that on Merb once someone gets nasty or off topic, the MODS squad steps in.
AirBo, Great post.
Love Merb.

 

[Cap'tain Fantastic]

Back to the thread question:

What if all social media since Facebook suddenly disappeared?​

I think it would be a great service to humanity! Back to books, newspaper, and phone calls would certainly bring people to lay back and calm down. Maybe even restart to use their brain cells to make analysis and think by themselves!

 

[Cap'tain Fantastic]

I recently read his book:

You read books? Damn

 

[Mandouke]

There is no turning back, the computer is an essential component of modern society and with it social media. I do not have a Facebook account and never will. I dislike Mark Zuckerberg that much. I do have a LinkedIn account for professional purposes as well as an X account(Twitter).

I once was having a coffee with a young lady during the infancy of Facebook many years ago when another young man approached our table whom she knew and had not seen in many years. As he parted, he told her to hit him up on Facebook.

When he was gone her reply to me about Facebook said it all for me and I never got an account. She said, " Why would I want to hook up with someone that I did not want to fuck in high school thirty years ago?". That statement said it all for me about Facebook. If it disappeared I could care less.

 

[Gambling Fool]

I believe the original intent was to simply keep in touch with people you know but could not talk too everyday. And this was great. But as time went by, the usage of social media became a social nightmare.

I sincerely believe that the negative aspects of social media have largely exceeded the positive aspects of social media.

I agee with AirBo, removing social media would be great for the world.

 

[AirBo]

Well, looks like Florida attempted this to an extent, and lo and behold, children are talking to each other and starting to act normally again

Florida kids 'actually talking to each other' after state bans cell use in school: teacher

Florida middle school teacher Lisa Rodriguez-Davis sounded off on 'The Story' after Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a law prohibiting cell phone use by students in school.

www.foxnews.com

Kind of crazy how difficult it was to find an article that doesn't speak against the school for doing this. I guess it makes sense, can't view their articles without your phone can you.

I'm no Republican by any means and I stand firmly against most their policies but that can't be a bad thing.

I'd be careful though... it's still FoxNews LOL

 

[AirBo]

I believe the original intent was to simply keep in touch with people you know but could not talk too everyday. And this was great. But as time went by, the usage of social media became a social nightmare.

I sincerely believe that the negative aspects of social media have largely exceeded the positive aspects of social media.

I agee with AirBo, removing social media would be great for the world.

Obviously social media won't disappear but I hope that what we're witnessing atm is simply, unfortunately, a lost generation until more sensible rules are put in place for the benefit of humanity

 

[samadams]

You read books? Damn

Yes, I learned how to on YouTube

 

[Gambling Fool]

Obviously social media won't disappear but I hope that what we're witnessing atm is simply, unfortunately, a lost generation until more sensible rules are put in place for the benefit of humanity

At the very least, I think all accounts on all social media (not review forums) should not be anonymous. No more hiding behind a computer and spewing hate. Put your name on it.

 

[Tofflow]

It's an interesting question to ponder. If all social media suddenly disappeared, there would definitely be some pros and cons. On the positive side, it might encourage more face-to-face interactions, reduce addiction, and mitigate the spread of fake news.
If you ever need an alternative way to share content or engage with others, platforms like TikTok have become popular for short-form video shares. You can check out options like TikTok video shares if you're interested in exploring that avenue.
Ultimately, the impact of losing social media would vary from person to person, and it's essential to balance its benefits and drawbacks.

 

[dkevin51]

The world would be a much better place. People would learn to talk to each other again.

 

[Sic92]

We would learn to live like normal human beings like we used to before them.